Back to school from Berlin

I slept at 3am yesterday, not writing my essay, but searching for flights to London, in case I can make another trip to visit M there. But it doesn't look possitive. At 6 or 7 am, my mum called. Sorry that I didn't answer with patience, I was too sleepy. I skiped my class in the morning, and gave up aiming to handin the essay today... It was an essay with the title "Fischerspiel - Spiel oder Wirklichkeit?" about globalization. Hey... my German is still at a Kindergarten level!!! I think I didn't have any real discussion on this topic in secondary or univeristy in HK. Globalization... what an abstract term?! But a German definition is about factories moving to China and unemployment. Okay, I over-simplified it... :p In the afternoon I go to the test center. I was absent for a lesson last Thur because of Berlin. Reading the notes from a classmate, how could so much be taught in ONE lesson!? Feeling panic, but I didn't know there is a possibility to escape. Suddenly I received a phone call: Jo: "你都冇去考試架喇?" A: "唔係呀，我而家o係試場。你今朝有冇上堂？" Jo: "我有呀。o的野勁深，點考呀，考咪等於送死... 我同 Mi-cha-el 講左，我同 P 星期四上晝先考" A: "我諗住佢都係問返o的 KI, KII, 我以為得一張 Nominalisierung 考唔倒家嘛... 原來佢上個禮拜四派左勁多 notes. 咁我都星期四上晝先考得唔得架？" (omitted) So I return home and updated my blog... didn't really finish my essay (pushing it again to Tue morning) . Then HY asked me about the project meeting with the tutor. Ok, scheduled on Tuesday. The mess continues...

Day 4 in Berlin

resturant

Day 3 in Berlin

Jo was again gone for class visit in the morning. I went to Alexander Platz, walked around and took a long time to find the Adidas shop. It was actually a small shop. Der Fernsehen Turm und der Alexander Platz We met at 4 and walked from the Alexander Platz to the Fernsehen Turm (didn't go up, it costs 7,5 €), the Berliner Dom (3 €), and finally the Museum Insel. From Unter den Laden back to Friedrichstrasse. So now I have been to all the places shown on my German book. :D Der Berliner Dom und Friedrichstrasse

Day 2 in Berlin

In the morning Jo went to a visit for her class, and I walked to Potzdemer Plaz alone. We met at around 2pm and went to the Brandenburger Tor together. Das Sony Center am Potsdamer Plaz und das Brandenburger Tor am Pariser Platz We also visited the Reichtag. We learnt we could visit the meeting room if we apply earlier. Then we went to the Ampelmann shop at Potzdemer Platz. The products were very expensive. Das Reichtagsgebaeude und das Ampelmann Geschaeft At night we walked pass the Holocaust-Mahnmal, the Berliner Mauer and Checkpoint-Charlie. I didn't really know any German history, (Don't even ask me about Chinese history :P) now I'm forced to learn a little bit... Holocaust-Mahnmal und Die Reste der Berliner-Mauer

Day 1 in Dresden

Jo and me took the City Night Train (19€) from Stuttgart to Dresden. We arrived in Dresden at around 8:30 am, read the map, and roughly decided our path in the city. We visited first the VW factory. It is not really a tourist attraction, we hesitated but we went in. No one really bothered to welcome these two crazy little Asians. We enquired at the reception and was told there was a short tour which we might join if we understand German. We had to ask the tour guide to join the tour. I still remember his response was: 'Die Gaderobe ist dahinten. *Wir warten nicht so lange*'. This sounds sooooo strange to me. :p VW Fabrik und die Frauen Kirche Next, we visited the Frauen Kirche. Paid 5€ with nothing much to see I would say. [Later I was told in Berlin, this church is newly renovated. So this church is what my mother saw on TV. No wonder it's soooo expensive]. We had some self-made 飯團 as lunch at the Bruehlsche Terrasse. It was simply damn cold... Then we cross the bridge to the Neustadt. Visited the Markthalle and the Drei-Konigs-Kirche. Baroque buildings in Dresden and the frozen Elbe We then crossed another bridge and visited the Zwinger. The river Elbe was frozen with floating ice. The fountain in Zwinger had no water and the grasses were gone. How will it look like in Summer? :p Zwinger und Aletto At night we took another train to Berlin. We got off at Friedrichstrasse, walked some 2000m to the Jungenhotel (Aletto, 22.5€ x 3 for 4 nights, Dopplezimmer). It was a longer way than it looks on the map. We booked a double zimmer, but was given a room for 6. If we knew it earlier, we would invite more people to join our trip.

2 weeks for a disappointed reply

Sehr geehrte Frau X, bezugnehmend auf Ihr gestriges Mail an Herrn Herrmann und Ihren Besuch in unserem Hause müssen wir Ihnen zu unserem Bedauern mitteilen, daß wir uns letztendlich für einen Ihrer Mitbewerber entscheiden haben.

Aufgrund der hohen Qualifikation Ihrer und der anderenBewerbungen ist uns diese Entscheidung nicht leichtgefallen und wir bitten um Ihr Verständnis. Wir bedanken uns nochmals für Ihr Interesse und wünschen Ihnen für Ihr weiteres Studium viel Erfolg und alles Gute. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Akzo Nobel Powder Coatings GmbH

Baking an apple cake

Went to Hui's place for lunch, because her French mitwohnerin is leaving in Feb. I have not yet decided if I leave yet, but I must make an decision if I quit my room by monday!!! Hui' cooked some Chinese dishes. "Sisley(?)" baked an apple cake and I cooked "西米露". I never know how much 西米 I should use, using too much again. :p cake To bake a cake seems not too difficult, the reciepe: - 1 small yogurt - 2 small yogurt cup flour - 2 small yogurt cup sugar - 3 eggs - 2 apples (cutting them into small pieces) - mix well and bake

Comments from experience:

- mixed fruit yogurt also tastes good

- with half the stated portion can bake 8 pieces.

- bake at 120°C for 45min (or until almost finished)

- bake at 150°C can give the cake a golden surface

- too much suger in the stated receipe, maybe 2/3 is enough

- dice 3 apples for half the stated portion

Visiting a German family

Today I was in Tuebingen West to visit a German family. This is a hospitality program from the Church. This so called "a family" lives only one German woman. She works in the university. It was a nice apartment, to me is very comfortable for a single person. Tuebingen West She cooked some Salad and Spagetti, isn't "real German", but is one of the Altagsessen. :p We had ice-cream as dessert (Yes, in European family, I think there is always a dessert). It is a bit strange that I haven't yet discovered they have separate desserts for summer and winter. After dinner she showed us some cook books. Schwaebisch essen: "Spazille(?) is a kind of home-made noodle. Then we left by walking for some 20 min to the town-center. There is only 1 bus per hour in her region after 9pm. So my student apartment region is quite convenient?!

Will I go back to HK in Feb?

2 days ago, I suddenly received a phone call for an interview of a student job. Not without difficulties, we arranged an interview today. It is about a stupid technical support kind of job in Akzo Nobel. They had an advertisement at my faculty. I tried everything I could which are posted on the notice board... :p I asked them to send me an email: "wie mit Ihnen soeben telefonisch besprochen, laden wir Sie zu einem Vorstellungsgespräch am Mittwoch, den 11. Januar um 14 Uhr zu uns ein. *Wir bitten Sie uns eine gültige Arbeitserlaubnis mitzubringen*. Unsere Adresse können Sie unten ersehen." The most important point to work abroad to me is not qualifications, but a "working permit" :p Today I had the interview. The interviewers were very nice. They asked me if I like a drink, a cake, a cigarette etc. I think they must be very desparate in hiring a student helper, so they also consider an exchange student. :p If they are going to hire me, will I go back to HK in Feb? Headache...

2 Days in Schwarzwald (Altensteig und Freundenstadt)

Morgen habe ich mit dem Zug nach Herrenberg gefahren, und da habe ich auf einen Bus eingestiegen. Die Fahrt dauert ca. 1 Stunde. Wenn ich in Altensteig angekommen bin, hat meine Freundin schon auf dem Busbahnhof gewartet. Die Stadt Altensteig; Meine Freundin und ihrer Mann im Studio Nach unserem Mittagessen, sind wir in die Stadt rund gegangen. Danach haben wir zu dem Mann meiner Freundin besucht. Er kommt aus Kanada uns ist vor 18 Jahren in Deutschland gekommen. Er arbeitet im Studio einer Kirche und produziert Musik-CDs. Dann haben wir in den Angelpark gefahren und "angen"(=fishing?). Das Wasser haette nur 5 Grad. Wir haben der Fisch gut gefuerttet(=fed?) und haben 3 Fischen gekauft. Sie sind unseres Abendessen. Am Abend hat der Mann meiner Freundin mir viele Fotos von Bulgaria und Chille gezeigen. Angen(?) im Angelpark und der Schwarzwald auf das Auto Den naechten Tag haben ich und meine Freundin nach Freundenstadt gefahren. Sie faehrt aber nicht so gut. Der Marktplatz des Freundenstadts ist am Groessten des Deutschlands. Es war aber zu kalt. Wir haben auch ein Glaswerkzeung besucht. Zum Abendessen haben wir Fondue mit dem Weisswein. Das Glaswerkzeug in Freundenstadt und Fondue